Box.



P. DUNCAN,

BOX-

APPLICATION FILED APR. 24- l9l Patented Mar. 21, 1916.

PETER DUNCAN, OF MOUNT OLIVER BOROUGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 21, 1916.

, Application filed Apri1'24, 1915. Serial No. 23,633.

To all whom it may concern! Be it known that I, PETER DUNCAN, a citi zen-of-the United States of America, residing at Mount Oliver-Borough, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boxes, of which the following is a Specification.

The invention relates to an'improvement,

in boxes designed particularly for use as containers of variouscommodities which are to be dispensed from time to timefrom the box,the particular construction of the box providing for its being divided or broken away as the quantity of the commodity is reduced, in order to provide a box of gradually reduced size to avoid the necessity of full box storage space when the box is but partly filled.

In the use of boxes as containers for many articles, such as cigars, confectionery, or article goods of any type, the articles are generally sold fromthe box in small quantities or singly so that a box of usual construction requires the same storage space were it completely full or containing but one or two articles. The present invention is designed to obviate this difficulty and permit the seller to reduce the size of the box in accordance with the quantity of material contained, so that the boxaccommodates itself in size to the quantity of material, thereby requiring only suflicient storage space for.

be readily reduced to a uniform lengthby breaking along any particular line, the sides and ends being further formed intermediate the breaking grooves with undercut channels to receive a sliding cover so that the latter is adapted to cooperate with the box without regard to the length of the latter and seal the contents against deterioration.

The invention in the preferred form of details, will be described in the following specification, reference being had particularly to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the improved box. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the box. Fig. 3 is a similar view taken at right angles to Fig. 2. Fig. 4: is a perspective view of the top or bottom. Fig. 51s a perspective view of one of the sides.

Referrlng particularly to the accompany- 111g drawings it will be noted that the improved box comprises top and bottom walls 1 and 2, of identical construction, side walls 3 and 4 of slightly different construction, an end wall 5 of plain construction and hereinafter referred to as the fixed end wall and an end wall 6 designed particularly for sliding cooperation with the top, bottom and side walls and hereinafter referred to as the sliding cover.

The top and bottom of'the box are of identical construction, the said box being treated in the following description as if the plain end wall 5 was the lower end wall of the box. Each top and bottom wall is formed transversely thereof and throughout the full width with a series of. breaking grooves 7 which are practically saw kerfs extending slightly more than half way through the particular wall so as to compel the breakage of said wall along the line of cut thus formed under slight lateral bending movement of the wall. The side walls are similarly formed with breaking grooves 8, and when arranged in box forming relation, as shown in Fig. 1, the breaking grooves of the top and bottom walls and of one of the side walls register'or aline transversely of the box so as to present a breaking line at regular intervals throughout the length of the box and throughout the full contour of the box, except at one side. One of the side walls as 3 and the top and bottom walls 1 and 2 are formed in addition to the breaking grooves with undercut channels 9, the channels include aledge at right anglesto the face of the wall and an inclined surface ex tending upwardly and inwardly from the ledge. The channels 9 are located just below each breaking groove except the lowermost groove, the relative positions of the channels and grooves arranging these elements in pairs, that is, each pair includes a breaking groove and a channel. The remaining side wall t is free of the channels 9 and simply formed with breaking grooves, these grooves being spaced apart a distance corresponding to the spacing ofthe breaking grooves on the remaining side and top and bottom, but so initially spaced from the lower end of the particular side wall 4 as to olfset the breaking grooves of such side wall with relation to the breaking groove of the other walls. In other wor ds the breaking grooves and channels 9 of the top, bottom and side wall 3 are in exact registry one with another, while the breaking grooves of the side wall 4 register with the ledge of the channels 9 of the other walls. By this construction when the respective walls are broken on the breaking grooves, the side wall 4, each time slightly shorter than the remaining Walls so as to exposethe undercut channels of said walls.

The walls are secured in box forming vrelation as illustrated, and within the 'marginal edges of the lower end of said walls is secured the end wall 5, which is perfectly plain, and nailed or otherwise secured in place, as may be desired. The opposite end of the box presents on three walls a channel 9, the remaining wall terminating in line with the bottom or ledge of said channel. The cover 6 is formed with beveled edges at the side and one end to cooperate with the channel 9 of the top, bottom and side wallS, said covert; overlying and resting upon the free edge of the remaining side walla.

In thisarrangcment the boxiscolnpletely closed and is serviceable as a container for any desired type of articles. As the number or volume of articles within the box diminish, it is the intention to reduce the size of the box accordingly, to which end the respective walls are broken along the line of the particular breaking groove, which after breaking leaves the intact portion of the box exactly as originally except in length, the breaking along the breaking grooves presenting fresh channels 9 to receive the slid- .ing cover so that the latter is capable of use at all times as a closure.

It is of course to be understood that the box while preferably constructed of wood,v

is designed to be constructed of any material whlch can be severed along predetermined lines, and while preferably of the rectangular .form shown, is also contemplated :as being made up in any desirable formand of any and all sizes.

' Whatis-cla'imed'is:

'l. A box having the walls thereof formed with breaking grooves and with channels to receive a cover.

2. A box having the walls thereof formed with breaking grooves and With channels to receive a cover, one of the walls being free of the channels.

3. A boxhaving the Walls thereof formed with breaking grooves and with channels to receivea cover, one of the Walls beingfree of the channels, the breaking-groovesofsuch wall being offset from-the breaking grooves of the-other walls in the completed box.

Al. Aibox having the walls thereof formed with breaking grooves and with channels to receive a cover, one of the walls being free of the channels, the breaking groove of such wall being alined with the channels of the remaining -walls.

-5. AboX-including top, bottom and side walls, a fixed end wall and a sliding cover, the top, bottom and side walls being formed with breaking grooves, the breaking grooves of three of-such partslbeingin alinement.

A box including top, bottom and side Walls,'a fixedend wall and a sliding cover, the top, bottom and side walls being formed with breaking-grooves, the breaking grooves of three of such parts being in alinement and having channels to receive the sliding cover.

7 A box including top, bottom and side Cugies oi -this patent may be obtained for-fi ve cents each.'by aqfiressingthe fComniissioner of I'a'tents,

Washington, D. G. 

